I am thinking people do not really want to hear what an inmate has to say. I do not think it matters if the inmate claims to be innocent or not. People just do not want to hear it. The shows on T.V. seem to back this up. Any show based upon the premise that people get wrongfully convicted usually gets cancelled quickly. Not enough ratings. Shows that depict the police always getting the right person, and putting them in prison, seems to have staying power.
With the deaths of several black men at the hands of the police, networks began pulling some of these shows, including Cops. Networks are bringing some of these shows back, and Cops is back on the air. If you want to talk about an actual systemic problem, I suggest we start with this idea that the judicial system is not fallible. The very notion that the police, prosecutors, and the courts always get it right. It has gotten to the point that most of our society will not even begin to entertain the idea that innocent people are in prison across this country. They do not want to hear about the thousands of people who have proven their innocence and have been released. They certainly do not want to consider there are tens of thousands of inmates in prison who are actually innocent of the crimes they were charged with.
The famous character Sherlock Holmes said, “Remove the impossible, and whatever remains no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” Is it possible to commit a crime that leaves absolutely no physical evidence? Is it possible to rape a 4-year-old child, without leaving any scaring, bruising, or taring? Is it possible to rape that same child and leave the hymen intact? Is it possible to do all of this, and leave no physical evidence and no seamen? If it is not possible, then the crime never took place. So, what is left?
Is it probable that the parents went through a bad break up? Is it probable that the mother coached the child to make false claims against the father? Is it probable that a mother could use her own child this way to remove the father from the child’s life? Is it probable that an overzealous detective, and prosecutor ignored the fact there was no evidence to secure a conviction? Is it probable that a jury was so shocked by the allegations, they too ignored the lack of evidence, and convicted an innocent person?
This is what the evidence says in my case. So many people wanted to get the bad child molester off the street, the complete absence of evidence did not matter. A Mother was so willing to rid herself of the child’s father, that she was willing to put her child through a host of examinations, interviews, and the public spectacle of a trial. Causing her daughter to identify herself as a victim forever. I wonder if anyone has done a study on how that would affect a person?
If people refuse to consider innocent people are in prison, society will continue to incarcerate innocent people. If we are unable to listen to their stories, we will never know how this can happen nor the ways to stop it. The innocent people in prison did not slip through a crack. They were locked up intentionally, with purpose, and the knowledge they were innocent. I just hope you or someone you love is not next.
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